Linked Hearts
by xprimrose
Summary: On the day of Link and Zelda's wedding, The princess is captured by a gang of night elves. It just so happens that Link has been secretly associating with an elf girl named Han who claims she's on the island for "trading purposes".
1. Chapter 1

"It's an odd feeling, Link."

"What is sweetheart?" The male stared up at Zelda with his curious blue orbs peeking out from underneath his blonde hair.

"I don't know. Nevermind."

"No, please tell me." He grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers. He traced her thumb down to his own, and smiled to himself.

"No, really, it's nothing. I don't even know what I'm saying." She leaned back on the stone and overlooked the ocean view hoping he'd drop the subject. This boulder had always been their special spot where they'd always go together to just sit and talk. It was set right on the top of the cliff and overlooked the entire village. You could stare over the oceans for miles.  
"Babe." He looked up at her and furrowed his eyebrows. "Our wedding is tomorrow. For heaven's sake, I thought we were way past keeping secrets from each other." He frowned. Zelda stayed quiet for a moment, and turned back to meet his eyes. She hesitated, but took in a deep breath.

"Uh, holding hands with you. It's odd, in a good way. You should do it more often." She forced a small smile on her face and squeezed his hand hoping he'd buy it. His mouth straightened into a firm line and he squinted his eyes. Zelda kept the smile plastered onto her face and waited. Link's attention stayed on her. She was smiling with her mouth, but he could see distress in her eyes. Eventually, his eyes softened, and the corners of his mouth curved up, and he smiled.

"Sure thing, whatever you'd like." A sigh of relief escaped her lips as Link leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. She smiled for a second, and proceeded to gaze over the cliff. She could feel her long blonde locks blowing across her face. The seagulls were always flying around the area. They looked so free, as if they hadn't a worry in the world. Nothing to hold them down, no commitment to anything whatsoever. She wished that somehow she could be like them and just forget about everything. Just get away from her life for a little while. She looked down and stared at her feet.

"I think we should go. It's getting chilly." She slid off the boulder, brushed out the wrinkles in her dress, and walked over to the path that led back to the village. Link raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, alright. Here you can take my coat if you're cold." He slid off the rock onto his feet and trotted until he caught up with her. She quickened her pace.

"No, I'm fine. Let's just hurry." She answered, and pushed his jacket away. He frowned at her gesture.

"Tell me what's wrong." He begged. Zelda stopped for a moment. She turned around to look at him.

"There's nothing wrong, really. I promise." She gave him a quick smooch on the lips and smiled. "Okay?" She looked deep into his eyes for a moment, then continued to briskly walk back towards the village. Link sighed and followed after her.

"Women." He muttered.

* * *

Later that evening after a nice hot bath, Zelda headed straight upstairs and into bed.

"Sweetie, aren't you going to have some dinner? I cooked up some of your favorite mushroom noodle soup!" Link's grandmother cooed.

"No thankyou, I don't feel very hungry tonight. I'm sorry." Zelda replied, and turned around to face the wall. Link's grandmother raised an eyebrow at him. His face scrunched in frustration.

"Are you sick?" He asked, as made his way up the wooden ladders.  
"What? Oh, no, I'm just not hungry tonight that's all. And I'm really tired. Long day today." She rolled onto her back and rubbed her eyes. Link sat down beside her on the bed and gently placed his hand on her forehead.

"You don't feel warm…" He said, and took his hand off. He pulled the sheets open and lay down beside her. Zelda nudged his side.

"Can I sleep alone tonight? Do you mind?" She asked. She noticed the confusion on his face, she added, "It's sort of hot. Two bodies in this tiny bed might get a little toasty." Link stared at her with disbelief. Just earlier today she had confessed that the weather was getting cold. Something was wrong. Zelda never acted like this. But Link was too tired to argue at this point. He bit his lip, and let out a sigh.

"Sure, I guess I'll sleep on the floor with Aryll then." He muttered as he climbed down the stairs and made his way to the door. "I'm going for a little walk. Go ahead and eat dinner without me Aryll." He yelled back, and with that, he slammed the door shut.

* * *

The instant Link felt the cool breeze linger on his skin, he was relaxed. By now it was already dark out, but he still managed to make out the path way from the light beams shining down from the moon. His boots dug into the gravel of the pathway and made a nice crunching sound. With each step, he began to wander farther and farther away from his grandma's old hut.

Eventually his feet lead him up the spiraling path and he found himself resting atop the boulder that Zelda and he had been sitting on earlier that day. He leaned back onto his arms and sighed as he reminisced of the past events today.

Zelda was never a girl to cause a fuss over anything. In fact, she was the exact opposite. She made a point to stay out of drama and go with the flow of everything for the better of everyone else. Perhaps it was just her nerves. After all, the wedding was only a couple hours away… Link couldn't help but feel a little jittery himself. Just the thought of being committed to someone even after so many years was still unfathomable. Maybe that was it. Maybe Zelda wasn't ready for all this commitment. After countless times of always being there to rescue her, it was almost obvious that they were destined to be together. He was the Hero of Time and she was the Princess of Hyrule, which inevitably meant they shared a bond that was unbreakable. But whether it was true love or not was the question. Link knew that he was in love with her, and he felt like he had made the right choice when proposing. But whether the feelings were mutual was what caused him to be uneasy. Worry floated in the air.

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It was probably best to just forget about it. He leaned back onto his hands and gazed up at the sky. The stars above Outset Island were shining brighter than usual, perhaps trying to reflect the exciting events to come the next day. The midnight sky was set as a canvas and contrasted against the stars. He wished Zelda were there beside him to admire the view. He remembered the old days when they'd always sneak out and come up here at night to just gaze up at the sky. After a couple minutes, Link's breathing slowed to an still pace, and he felt his eyes begin to droop.

* * *

"Hey there, mister!" A cheery young female voice rang in his ears. Startled, Link sat up immediately and rubbed his eyes, still dazed from his nap. He could barely make out anything; His eyes had not yet adjusted to the night time. He pulled out his sword and looked around to find the source of the noise. "Behind you, sweetheart." He felt a poke in his side and whipped his body around. There behind the boulder stood a girl dressed in a light blue blouse, a disheveled brown skirt, and a pair of ragged old boots. On her back was a bag of arrows and in her hand was a bow. She stood a couple inches shorter than him, but he couldn't decide what her age was. She had the features of a child; soft skin and a round little nose, but her eyes were a deep piercing violet color, and her eyebrows were raised in amusement. Her chin was sharp and her stark cheekbones were curved upwards in a smirk.

"Who… Who are you?" He stammered.


	2. Chapter 2

"My name's Han." Her toned softened a bit when she noticed the angst in his eyes, but her face remained smiling. "I saw something moving over here and I just came by to see what it was." She attached her bow to her back with one swift motion and leaned on the boulder, crossing her arms. Then she cocked her head and smiled at him with a curious expression. "What are you doing out so late?"

Link's mouth twisted in frustration. Bright white teeth shone from underneath the strange elf's smile as she watched him intently. She was giving off a mischievous aura, but still very cheerful at the same time. Link brushed his hair out of his eyes, and decided she was harmless. He slipped his sword back into his belt.

"I always come up here to think. I don't recall ever seen you around the village before..." He replied. Something about the elf was captivating, and he couldn't seem to avert his attention away. "Where did you come from?" He noticed that she had medium length hair, little past her shoulders, and it severed off into several directions . There wasn't enough light for him to see what color it was exactly, but it seemed to be a dark brown shade. What looked like a burgundy colored scarf was loosely wrapped around her neck and she had a pair of beaten up old archer gloves on. He could see she'd sewn it up several times by the loose stitches hanging off everywhere. She must've spent a lot of time hunting, he assumed.

"My father's a trader." She explained "But our ship got caught up in a wild storm down east and it took us a little longer than expected to get here. We just docked about an hour ago." She bit her lip. "He's visiting some friends I think. Around here." She stood up and pointed to the Forest of Fairies across the bridge. "And so not wanting to come along, I wandered off and into those woods over there to see if I could catch something good." She turned back at him and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "What's your name by the way?" Link raised an eyebrow.

"Link. My name's Link." He replied with a flat tone. The girl's scarf was beginning to droop and he noticed a tattoo of something familiar on her neck. "Hey, is that a tattoo?" He reached over to grab her shoulder when she suddenly jerked away.

"Uh, no no, it's a birth mark." She took a few steps back and quickly pulled the two ends of the scarf so it was wrapped tight against her neck. "I don't really like to show it…" Her voice became a little more quiet and the smirk in her eye lessened. It looked as if her pupils had gotten smaller aswell. She looked down at the floor, then back up. "So what's on your mind anyway? Why are you here?"

Link's licked his lips and withdrawed his hand. He scratched the back of his neck for a moment, then looked up and gazed at the sky.

"Lady troubles. Don't worry about it." He finally answered with a sigh. The girl listened intently and nodded. Then she smiled and skipped over to stand beside him. Her eyes were large with curiosity once more, and she hooked arms with him.

"Well I can surely fix that! You up for some hunting tonight?" She playfully grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the bridge

"Um, I should really be heading back-"

"Oh please! Just for a little while?" she urged. Her eyes pleaded for him to go. He stopped for a moment and looked over the cliff and back at his hut. He bit his lip. What harm could it do? They were probably all asleep anyway. He sighed.

"Uh... Sure I don't see why not… But I don't have my b-"

"I've got an extra bow you can use. Here," She tossed a large wooden bow at him that she pulled from behind her. "Oh, and some arrows too of course." She let out a playful giggle and handed him about ten arrows. "Let's go." She clutched his arm and skipped merrily across the bridge. Link stumbled along behind her.

"This bridge is pretty old, I'd be careful if I were you." He warned her. She was a bit childish, he observed, but still seemed rather mature at the same time. Her eyes were incredibly remarkable; He couldn't get the image of them out of his head. Never before had he seen an elf with eyes that vibrant shade of violet before. Even in the hushed lighting, they still shone bright as day, as if they were glowing.

"Yes, yes I know. Trust me, would ya'?" She replied, and continued to skip across the bridge as if she hadn't heard a thing he'd said. Link trotted along behind her, struggling not to fall through the missing boards in the bridge.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, for Link atleast, they finally reached the other side. He hesitated before going into the forest. Where was the entrance? "Come, it's right through here." Han dashed past him and disappeared into the dense thicket of trees.

"Right, I'm coming." Link called back. He slowly took babysteps towards what looked like a large mass of darkness until his hand felt something he recognized as the rough trunk of a tree. How could she possibly see anything in lighting like this? He felt a tap on his shoulder and he flinched.

"Don't worry, it's just me." Somehow the elf had scuttled behind him without him even noticing. She held his hand and pulled him into the forest. "Geez, do I always have to hold your hand?" She teased, and the two walked into the blackness together.

Inside the Forest of Fairies, the environment was suddenly different. Rays of light coming from an unknown source shone down and illuminated the whole place up. It had been a long time since Link had visited this place. Last time he did was years ago when he came to rescue Zelda after she'd been dropped by that wretched bird sent by Ganondorf. It was back when he'd first got the news that he was the Hero of Time. When his entire journey first started. Speaking of which! He'd totally forgotten about her; his future bride was probably laying in bed worried sick as to where he was. Or maybe not. She didn't seem to give a damn when he left. Link rubbed his eyes in frustration. Regardless, it was too late now anyway to turn back.

"Oh! Over there!" Suddenly, Han let go of his hand and dashed behind a tree. He watched as she pulled back an arrow and closed one eye. She carefully aimed at the Kargorok and licked her lips. With one swift trick of a finger, she released the arrow. The bird let out a loud squawk and came spiraling downwards. Kargoroks were usually flying around Dragon Roost Island, not often were they spotted around here. They were probably migrating around this time of year. "Yes!" She made her way over to the bird and in a matter of seconds, it disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. All that was left was a golden feather that lay delicately on the forest floor. Han scooped it up in her hands and took a moment to study it. She smiled and shoved it in her boots. Link let out a little snort.

"That's how you store your earnings?" He asked . The beginnings of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Han looked up with a puzzled look on her face, then nodded.

"Well yeah. Kinda strange huh?" She laughed. "Nah, these boots were made for me by one of the Great Fairies. Me and my dad stopped by on our way to Windfall Island, since the weather was too crazy for us to go on. She took us in until the storm blew over and she noticed that my bow and arrow. She upgraded those for me too, and made me these." She pointed her toes together and admired her boots for a couple seconds. She looked up and beamed at him. "They can keep up to 10 pounds of material! And the best part is, they'll always feel light, which means they're fashionable, and easy to hunt in."

Link nodded, rather amused by her story. His mouth curving into a hint of a smirk.  
"They're amazing." He replied. His tone of voice a little more tender, but still stern.

"Yeah… They are…" She replied absentmindedly. She jerked her head up. "Anyway, don't just stand there! Let's get hunting!" She picked up her arrow from the ground and slipped it in her quiver and began to skip over towards Link when her foot was caught on a tree root. She tripped. Thankfully, Link dashed over just in time to catch her before she face planted into the dirt. One arm gripped her wrist and the other wrapped around her waist. "Oh.. Thankyou." She startled, and stood up straight to brush her skirt off.

"Sure thing…" Link replied in a hushed voice, as he released his grip on her arm. He felt his cheeks begin to flush. He quickly dropped his other hand realizing it was still draped around her.


	3. Chapter 3

Now that there was some decent lighting, he noticed that her hair was actually a deep chocolate brown. With the light reflecting on the top of her head, it almost looked like it had speckles of red here and there in it as well. Hints of pink rose up into her cheeks and she quickly took a couple steps back from him. Han looked up and gave him a nervous chuckle, then looked away.

"Your… Your eyes," Link started. Instead of the deep amethyst he remembered them to be, they were gradually fading to a golden honey color. She gasped and brushed her fringe into her face.

"Let's keep going," She said as she regained her happy state, and turned to face the path. But before she could take a step, Link grabbed her shoulder and twisted her small frame around. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and leaned in close to study her face. Han gulped and clenched her fists.

"They change colors?" He asked her.

"Oh. They do that a lot… What color are they now?" Her heart was pounding against her chest. So loud that she was surprised he couldn't hear it.

"Sort of a golden brown." He replied. She bit her lip.

"That's strange… They've never turned to that color before." She dropped her head and softly pushed him in the stomach to get some distance between them. Link let go of her shoulder and let her hair drop back onto her face. He could feel an odd tension floating in the air. "Actually, it's getting pretty late. You should probably head back… Your family might be worried."

Her voice changed, and faded to almost a whisper as she spoke, "My dad is probably wondering where I am too." She tried her best to ignore the fact that she could feel the apples of her cheeks burning up. Han brushed out the wrinkles in her blouse and nodded. Link watched as she hastily strode out of the forest, leaving him behind.

"Wait up!" He called to her, and dashed towards the entrance to catch up. Why did it seem like he was constantly chasing after girls these days?

* * *

When they stepped outside, he noticed that it had gotten a little brighter, but still barely enough to see anything clearly. The sun was beginning to make its way over the horizon and the only thing clear enough to see were the glimmers of sunlight dancing atop the water. How long had they been in there? He squinted into the dim lighting and could barely make out a small figure, sprinting across the bridge and disappearing behind the rock walls that surrounded the path. He began to run when he realized he still had her bow and arrows in his hand.

"Han!" The boy cried out into the dark. He took a wobbly step onto the bridge and stopped for a moment. He took in a deep breath, and then sprinted as fast as he could all the way across. He felt his feet slip on the last piece of wood, but he managed to make it to the other side safely. "Where did you go?" He muttered.

He darted down the spiraling path but she was nowhere to be seen. "I still have your bow!" Link yelled, as he raised his arm in the air, but there was no response other than the crickets chirping their night song. He had never encountered an elf who could run so fast before. Something was strange about this girl, but he wasn't yet able to figure out what it was. It seemed like she was hiding something from him, something big. As if she had a secret she was holding in. Then again though, they hadn't even known each other for more than a couple hours, who was he to judge?

* * *

He slouched over his shoulders as he slugged back to his grandma's hut, gripping the bow and arrows tightly in his hand. For some strange reason, Link began to feel awfully drowsy. The sword on his back felt as if it were ten thousand pounds heavier, and his boots began to drag in the dirt.

* * *

He took his time while walking over the small bridge that separated the two islands of Outset. By now the light was slowly creeping its way over the water's horizon, and it was easier for Link to see the path before him.

The bridge was built of part wood and part rock. The rocks were there from ages ago, and had been eroded over time to become a flat surface. The wooden part was built back when the village was first founded, for easier access to the two sides.

He remembered as a kid he would always go and sit on top of the rocks and fish with his little sister, Aryll. He'd taught himself how to fish when he was around nine years old, and he taught Aryll when she was six. They would spend hours just sitting and playing, usually barely ever catching anything. But just the experience was all they needed to have fun, but each day they hoped for something to bite onto the line.

* * *

When he finally reached the front door, Link slowly pushed it open and stepped inside, hoping not to wake anyone. Of course, the door was practically ancient; after all, the house had been built back when his grandmother was just a child, so it didn't come as a surprise to Link when it let out a loud creaking noise. He clenched his fist hoping it hadn't woken anyone up.

"Link?" He heard a familiar voice call out to him in the dark. Footsteps came running towards him. "Where have you been?" he felt arms wrap around his waist and a warm head pressed against his cheek.

" I told you I was going for a walk," He whispered back.

"What kind of walk lasts for 6 hours?" She scoffed. "Where did you go?" Link remained quiet for a moment before he spoke

"Can we talk?" He caressed his arm around her waist as he led her out onto the porch and closed the front door. "Why were you acting all strange today?" he said, groaning as he bent down to sit on the steps. Zelda sat down beside him.

"Link… It's nothing, really." She leaned onto his shoulder.

"Zelda," he spoke, "I know you. I've known you for a very long time, and you've never acted like that before. Just tell me what's wrong so I can help? Our wedding's tomorrow and the least I want to worry about is my bride being uncomfortable about something." He lifted up her chin and kissed her. "Please?" Zelda pressed her lips and let out a small sigh.

"It's about tomorrow," She said. Link sat up straight.

"Our wedding?" She nodded. "What about our wedding?" Zelda hesitated for a moment before she spoke,

"I'm not sure… I… I don't think it's the right choice."

"What do you mean?" A slight glimmer of worry hinted in his voice. He cleared his throat.

"This whole thing. Are you sure we're in love Link? Or is it just what our destiny is _suggesting_?" Zelda turned and faced him. "I mean, sure, we've known each other for a long while, and I'll admit we've had some good times together, but neither of us have really gotten the chance to meet new people... not enough to know what love truly is… How are we so sure this is love? It just feels like the only reason we're getting married is because that's what our 'fate' is telling us. You're the Hero of Time and I'm the princess of Hyrule and for some reason we're supposed to just be head over heels for each other and get married. It doesn't feel right to me." She stopped and lowered her voice.

"Do you truly believe that we're in love, Link?" She paused again. His eyes, which she was so used to always being concentrated and harsh, suddenly turned soft, and his forehead wrinkled with worry. Link felt as if his heart had just dropped all the way down to his feet. He tried to swallow but his throat was stuck. He didn't know what to say.

"Link…" She started. Suddenly she felt heart heart racing. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I care about you, I do really, but it's just-"

"No," He shook his head and raised his hand to cover her mouth. She stopped. The two sat there in silence as Link lowered his hand and looked off into the distance. Zelda could feel hot burning tears begin to form in her eyes. So much regret filled inside of her. Drops of tears fell down her cheeks and onto her dress.

"I didn't mean it Link." She bursted out. Her voice was weak and her sentences were broken between sobs. " This wedding's just got me all worked up and I… I-"

"Zelda," he hushed her. "You don't have to." Link looked at her with an expression she couldn't read, and reached out for her hand. He squeezed it and leaned in close. "Zelda… Do you want to get married to me?" He murmured into her ear. Shivers went down her spine.

"Link… I-"

"Zelda, you don't have to say yes." They both paused for a moment. Angst filled the air and neither of them said a word. After a few more moments of silence, Zelda wiped her tears with the sleeve of her dress, then replied.

"I do want to get married, Link." And as she spoke, Link felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I made the right choice when I agreed to marry you... and I won't bail out on you now. I'm sorry for everything today, I'm just… really stressed out." She locked fingers with his other hand and looked up at him. "Do you forgive me?"

His eyes were back to their usual tense state. He took a couple seconds to study her face to see if she was telling the truth or not. Her lip stopped quivering and tears had dried, but they had left behind streaks that ran all down her face. Finally, he couldn't stand to see her like that for any longer. He released all the hurt and confusion with a sigh of relief and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Of course sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head and could see a smile forming on both of their faces. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up,

"Well, we've got a wedding in a couple hours. I suppose it's best if we get a little rest." He opened the door and the two walked inside, both thankful to be greeted by the warmth of the hut.


End file.
